It’s been one week since we had the privilege of bringing together hundreds of passionate finance, policy and sustainability leaders for the Australian Sustainable Finance Summit.

Not to rehash the challenges we face, but to focus on the actions that come next.

Held on Gadigal Country, at Sydney Town Hall, the summit began with a generous Welcome to Country by Uncle Michael West, grounding the day in respect, reflection and shared responsibility.

This year’s theme, Action for Progress: Building on Strength, Seizing Opportunities, set the tone across every session. The message was clear: we know where we need to go, the question now is how do we get there? Do we have the tools, partnerships and policy frameworks in place to make it happen?

From transition finance and nature-related risk, to First Nations equity and the credibility of sustainable investment products, the conversations were honest, complex and refreshingly focused on outcomes.

This is Australia’s moment to lead

As Kristy Graham, CEO of the Australian Sustainable Finance Institute (ASFI) said in her opening address, this year’s theme for the Summit is a call to build on our strengths and seize the opportunities ahead.

“Since late last year, the global mood around climate and sustainable finance has been subdued. Financial institutions are quieter, not necessarily slower or less ambitious, but more focused and deliberate about what they’re doing. Where there are strong links between climate, sustainability and commercial results, the ambition is strong.”

Australia is not waiting to lead but actively working to become a global superpower in green manufacturing and critical minerals, and this ambition is backed by policy, public investment and international partnerships. Minister for Industry and Innovation, Senator Tim Ayres, echoed this sentiment.

With supply chains under pressure, new opportunities in clean energy — particularly public-private and international partnerships to accelerate green metals — are the logical way forward.

As Angelia Grant, Deputy Secretary of the Macroeconomic Group in the Australian Treasury, put it: “Australia is a serious, well-governed middle power” and we have the potential to shape global frameworks, not just follow them.

Transition is more than a buzzword

On the day, a standout theme was also transition. Not just the word, but the work that is going on behind the scenes.

Scaling innovation in green exports, designing financial products that support change on the ground, not just on paper and financing real change within hard-to-abate sectors.

Host of the Open Circuit podcast and former Director of the U.S. Department of Energy Loan Programs Office, Jigar Shah, joined ASFI for a standout fireside chat, where he shared insights into scaling at speed, and the role governments must play in using public finance as a bridge to bankability.

Rather than looking at government support a substitute for market momentum, Shah discussed how the shift to clean energy is no longer just good policy, it’s better business. The technologies driving the transition are lower cost and offer better performance, and it is the growing consumer demand that will ultimately carry the transition forward.

ASFI was also honoured to be joined by the Wang Xin Director General of Research Bureau of People’s Bank of China (PBC), who shared how financial institutions in China are using data disclosures and trade frameworks to grow green exports.

Here in Australia, the work has already begun to align superannuation, banking and export finance with the country’s net zero and nature-positive goals, but more is needed to unlock transition capital at scale, and to avoid climate becoming a narrow compliance issue rather than a system-wide opportunity.

First Nations equity is not optional

The summit discussions also made clear that First Nations leadership is not a side conversation, but a core infrastructure for a sustainable financial system.

ASFI Executive Manager of First Nations Finance Tyrone Glenbar (Bean) led two powerful sessions that challenged us to reflect on what implementation means to community and how cultural protocols, when embedded in a strengths-based approach, can create direct, positive economic impact to the whole economy.

Prof. Deen Sanders from Deloitte reminded us in the first session that First Nations adaptability and connectedness are key to Australia's productivity future. “The First Nations economy is growing 4.5 times faster than the rest... but the conversation needs to start from a radically different place than a pre-populated Gantt chart.”

In the second panel, Dr Kate George warned, “Just because the risk is ignored doesn’t mean the risk is not there,” Barbie-Lee Kirby called for action, and “to move from access to equity, and take economic justice seriously” and Dr Ian Hamm urged real inclusion: “Decisions are made by those who show up, so make sure to include [us] in the room.”

The Taxonomy in action

With the release of the Australian Sustainable Finance Taxonomy, Australia now has a credible, science-based tool to guide capital allocation, which is both internationally interoperable while also tailored for Australia.

The taxonomy includes climate mitigation and transition activities, recognises our role in sectors like mining, agriculture and energy and sets expectations for engagement with First Nations peoples and cultural heritage management.

But a tool is only useful when people know how to use it.

That is just one of the reasons why the Leading the Transition panel at the ASFI Summit was so valuable, as Australia is no longer just talking about sustainable finance, we are implementing it.

Moderated by Nicole Yazbek-Martin, the panel brought together three of ASFI’s pilot partners: Fiona Wild (Westpac), Sonya Sawtell-Rickson (HESTA), and Anna Hughes (Australian Office of Financial Management), who each shared how they are already applying the taxonomy to guide investment and lending with integrity. Although the National Native Title Council could not attend, their Dharawa Ngilan Business and Investor Guide remains a key part of the pilot process.

Learn how to apply the Australian Sustainable Finance Taxonomy in practice with our new 90-minute online course.
Aligning capital with climate, nature and equity does not start at the next summit, it starts now.

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Shaping Australia’s COP31agenda

The final session of the day, The Great Pitch, was fast-paced and high-energy. Two teams of sustainability champions pitched bold, practical ideas that could shape Australia’s position as a co-host of COP31.

From taxonomy alignment and transition finance standards, to embedding First Nations equity and building public-private accountability, the pitches captured the creativity, ambition and collaboration needed to move the system forward.

The work starts now

The summit made clear that if we want a sustainable financial system that truly supports aligning capital with climate, nature and equity, we cannot wait for perfect conditions.

The frameworks now exist.
The ideas and opportunities are here.
Now we must have the courage to embed them in operations.

In her closing remarks, ASFI CEO Kristy Graham left us with this call to action:

“We need the courage to step beyond compliance and take proactive, value-based action. We need the wisdom to enable and support our teams, our organisations and our broader networks to value and invest in partnerships that extend beyond the usual suspects; and the adaptability to approach these challenges with an opportunity rather than just a risk mindset."

To everyone who joined us in the room and online, the entire ASFI team would like to extend a heartfelt and genuine thank you for being a part of this next chapter. The work starts now.

If you missed it, or want to keep the momentum going, the next step is already live.